DAY 17 – STONEHAVEN TO ABERDEEN

Again we made use of the East Coast Main line travelling by train from Edinburgh to Stonehaven. It was a lovely sunny morning when we set of from the station and made our way along the seafront, past the caravan site to Cowie where we found a path to the top of the cliffs. A little further on we walked round the edge of the picturesque Stonehaven Golf club where we took time to enjoy a chat with a foursome of lady members. From here we had to find our own way walking between the railway line and clifftops to Blackhills, pausing briefly at picturesque Doonie Point before walking on past Muchalls, Newtonhill and Downies to Old Portlethen village where we stopped at the local pub for a most enjoyable cold beer and lunch. We walked out of the village on the minor road for a short distance before picking up a path on the right which took us back towards the sea. Staying on this path we walked through an industrial unit near Arnott Boo just below Findon which appears to manufacture rescue vessels for the oil rigs. Their bright orange shells were visible from a great distance. Climbing up the hillside towards Findon we then walked across the rather muddy Findon moor to our first obstacle of the day. A fence blocking the path bore a notice indicating a shooting range and gunfire could be heard although no warning flags were visible. We skirted round the inland side of the range and walked into our second obstacle a very large and busy quarry near Blowup Nose. Again we successfully bypassed it on the inland side. From here we walked between railway line and sea to Cove Bay where we picked up an excellent constructed coastal path all the way to Nigg Bay and Aberdeen. The walk into Aberdeen from Nigg Bay round Girdle Ness, past the golf course and lighthouse into the Port is dramatic and in contrast to the villages and hamlets of earlier in the day.